


You Love Me

by mariamuses



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 07:26:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18383750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariamuses/pseuds/mariamuses
Summary: When Aelin and Lysandra start college life, one goes after the cousin and the other one after the hot friend.





	You Love Me

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all I wrote again! I hope you like it as much as I do! Comments are loved and appreciated <3

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius was a normal freshman in college, living in the dorms with her new best friend, Lysandra. When they were matched as roommates through the mailing program the university offered, they immediately clicked. Aelin was mouthy, temperamental and sarcastic, and Lysandra never hesitated to join in, or call her out, whichever was needed at the moment. **  
**

Moving in together was easy as riding a bike, considered they had spent several days together during the summer, so it was no surprise when they were invited to a party they accepted.

Aedion, Aelin’s older cousin who Lysandra had a huge crush on and also went to the same college, was going to be there. Initially Aelin was concerned about anything happening between her best friend and cousin, but now she actually thought they’d make a cute couple and she sure as hell wasn’t going to miss out on the party.

* * *

 

That afternoon, after unpacking all their clothes and already making a mess of their newfound bedroom, Aelin and Lysandra got dressed and ready for the night.

“Do you think Aedion is going to like the mini dress?”, asked Lysandra, pulling down on the skin-tight red dress that had ridden up while she sat cross-legged to put her makeup on.

Aelin took a long look at her friend and motioned with her finger for her to spin, giving her a better look at the back.

“Oh, yes. He’s going be all over that in a few hours. I already told you, the last time he picked me up from your house he said you were cute and asked me if you were single. If you just look in his general direction tonight, he’s going to collapse. I think tonight is the night you should ask him out. Even I would say yes to you in that dress and I don’t even swing that way”.

“You really think so?”

“Hell yes, sister. However, be gentle with him. He might look tough on the outside–”

“He is SO ripped”, interrupted Lysandra with a dreamy look on her face.

“ –but he’s a softie inside”, finished Aelin as she stood up to check her finished looks in the long mirror at their door. She was wearing a gold purpurin camisole with black jeans that stopped at her ankles, showing of her 10 inch high heels.

“I will. I really think he can be the one”, sighed Lysandra.

“Yeah, right” said Aelin, rolling her eyes and looking at her friend. “And you know that by just looking at him”.

“No! I know that because I listen to you everyday yammering about your life and ‘OMG, Lys, you should’ve been there when Aedion and I went to’ and ‘Lys, you should’ve seen his face’. So yeah, I feel like I’ve known him my whole life and that’s creepy, but I swear, if he’s anything like you’ve described him, he’s my future man, I’m sure.”

“You make a valid point my friend”, conceded Aelin. “So, how do I look?”

“You look ready to meet your future boyfriend, if he’s at the party”, answered Lysandra.

“I didn’t do it for him, but if that happens then I won’t complain. Shall we?” said Aelin, heading for the door.

“We shall”.

When they got to the party, most of the freshman were huddled in the kitchen, sticking together with the glue that was their obvious inexperience at college parties. Aelin and Lysandra however headed for the basement, where Aedion was, and looked until they found him.

“Cousiiiiiin! You made it!”, yelled Aedion over the loud speakers that were blasting music. He hugged her tight and went to ruffle her hair, but his hand stopped mid air when he saw Lysandra, and his pupils blew out. “Lys, I mean, Lysandra! You made it too”, he gulped. “You look good.”

Someone cleared their throat behind Aedion, which made him stop gawking and straightened up.

“Cousin, Lysandra, this is one of my best friends, Rowan” said Aedion while gesturing to a tall man with pine green eyes, silver hair, broad shoulders and tattoos snaking down his face into his shirt.

“Rowan!” commented Aelin stepping forward to shake his hand. “I was looking forward to meeting you, I hear so many stories from Aedion… What do you say we get out of here and you get me something to drink while we leave these two” -she pointed her thumb to her cousin and best friend, already on their way to a staring match- “to their own designs?”

Rowan took a look at his distracted friend and accepted, taking Aelin’s hand and pulling her up the stairs to the kitchen.

* * *

“SHUT UP! You can’t do that! It doesn’t count! It’s cheating!” screamed Aelin while trying to take the cup away from Rowan, who was bringing it to his lips and taking a big sip. He was smirking and pushing Aelin away, a hand braced against her forehead.

“Too little, too late”, chanted Rowan, giving the empty cup back to Aelin.

“YOU CHEATED!”

“I did not. The game was that the first who finished their drink had to stop and be the DD. Your cup is empty, mine is full, so you’re the new DD. Thank you!” said Rowan, hugging Aelin and lifting her off the ground, twirling her around.

They had picked up their drinks in the kitchen and wandered off into the yard, not wanting to interrupt anything the other pair was doing. The silence had been awkward at first but soon it was filled with easy conversation, the two of them having a lot in common and quickly a friendship like no other bloomed.

“I hate you. So much. You can’t even comprehend the kind of hatred I have for you”, mumbled Aelin when Rowan put her down and pulled her against his chest for what felt like the best hug of her life.

“Yeah, right. You love me” answered Rowan, while dragging his hands up and down Aelin’s arms and back.

In the end, none of them drank anymore that night.

* * *

“Four tickets for the 6pm Wonder Woman session please”

The lady at the register nodded and handed Aelin the tickets. The group headed for the entrance, Aedion and Lysandra first, talking about the kind of popcorn they were going to get, while Aelin and Rowan walked behind them.

“So, how was spring break?”, asked Rowan. It was the first day back, and they had agreed on getting together to catch up,  the cinema was just an excuse to hang out.

“Well, you know. A little bit of family drama with a lot of family fun”, explained Aelin while handing the tickets to the guy at the door. “Yours?”

“Mine was okay. I finally moved out of my aunt’s, so now I’m free to do whatever I want with the money my parents left me instead of just watching how she spent it on things that were for”- he made quotation marks with his fingers. -“my own good.”

“Your parents would be so proud of the man you’re becoming, Ro”, she hugged him tight, lacing her fingers behind his back.

“I hope so”. He then sighed heavily. “I miss them, everyday.”

“I know. I wish I could’ve met them. They sound like amazing people. You were very lucky to have them in your life”, said Aelin, rubbing her hands on his back.

They spent a few moments like that, just holding each other until the other couple came back from their bathroom break before the movie. When Lysandra came close and saw them hugging, she looked at Aelin and raised her eyebrows in a silent question, which Aelin answered shaking her head no.

Aelin had been thinking about asking Rowan out, but when his train of thought had taken him down the sad road, she immediately retreated and held back, knowing this wasn’t the right time.

Aedion, having zero sensitivity, came back from the bathroom and tousled Aelin’s hair with his wet hand saying, “it’s my pee.”

“Ew, ew, ew, ewwww. Why me?” whined Aelin while rubbing her hair to get rid of the water.

“‘Cause you’re my favorite cuz, A” laughed Aedion while walking inside.

Rowan stood frozen on the spot, still lost in thought over the previous conversation, so Aelin took his hand and dragged him to their seats.

“Did you know that Captain Marvel’s name is Carol Danvers while Supergirl’s name is Kara Danvers? Well, technically is Kara Zor-El, but you know, her earth name. I think it’s amazing that two rivaling companies such as Marvel and DC almost share a name for their superheroes”, babbled Aelin to get Rowan out of his own head.

Rowan looked at her with an amused glance and asked, “Do you want to know a secret?”

Aelin’s eyes lit up. “Duh”, she said leaning forward towards him. “Spill.”

He motioned for her to get even closer, and when his mouth was on her ear he whispered.

Her face changed from excitement to shock, then pure disbelief.

Aelin blurted, “that’s not true”.

“You don’t believe me? Well, I guess you’ll see soon enough…” he mused, while the opening credits came on. “Now, hush, I want to see the movie.”

_(2 hours later)_

“Why, why, why would you spoil the end of the movie for me?” Aelin whined. “I thought you had to be joking for sure but then it became clearer and clearer and I… I hate you.”

“Yeah, right. You love me”, shot back Rowan while getting out his wallet to get her an oreo milkshake. Oh yes, he was going to have to pay for this betrayal big time. But he didn’t care, as long as it meant he had to stay close to her, that he had to pay for her food. It was a good compensation for his sins.

After the movie, Lysandra and Aedion had headed home to ‘rest’, so Aelin and Rowan had decided to stay for a while longer, not daring to enter their bedrooms just yet. Aelin’s milkshake craving was actually a good excuse and opportunity for the pair to be alone.

It took a milkshake and a burger, but her hunger and indignation had both settled down and now it was just them, sitting face to face, with silence stretching between them.

Rowan took a big breath and pulled his hand from Aelin’s hair, where it had been massaging her scalp for the last few minutes, and set it down on his side of the booth.

“A, I want to ask you something. You don’t have to answer today, so don’t worry.” He glanced around nervously and quickly said, “Aelinwouldyouwannagooutwithme?”

Aelin frowned.

“I didn’t understand a word you just said. Can you repeat it?

Again, Rowan breathed in. Once. Twice. “I said, if you would want to go out with me?”

“Me?”, Aelin laughed. When she saw how serious Rowan’s face was she sobered up. “Wait, you’re for real? You really want to go on a date with me?”

He nodded.

She drew a shaky laugh, the corners of her mouth tilting up. “How did…? When…?” she sighed heavily. “I’ve been wanting to ask you out for the whole year, and I had decide to do it today, but when I saw you dawn I didn’t really do anything. And now you go and pull it from under my nose.”

Rowan was astonished. “Really?”

“Ya-huh”, nodded Aelin. “Ever since that party, every conversation we’ve had, every hug, text, meal or just the silence we’ve shared. All that has made me realize how lucky I am to have you in my life. I know I’m not usually spilling how I feel because I prefer to show it, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you how important you are to me, Rowan Whitethorn.”

When she finished talking, Rowan got up from his side of the booth and got into Aelin’s, sliding closer until their knees and thighs were touching, and took her face between his hands. Her eyes looked down, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

“A, look at me”, whispered Rowan.

Blue eyes connected with pine green ones.

“Thank you. I know how hard it is for you to say those things because you’re so much like me, and they take effort for me. Also, I’m glad for our relationship too. After everything with my family, you’ve been my oasis. You have walked into my life and shattered the walls around my heart, Fireheart, and for that I’m thankful too.”

A second passed. Then two and three more. Rowan pressed their foreheads together and asked:

“Can I kiss you?”

“I thought you’d never ask”, said Aelin pressing their lips together.

* * *

It was a sunny May day and Aelin and Rowan had a picnic date. Aelin had been wanting to go on a picnic ever since she was five, and now that they were officially together, Rowan couldn’t deny anything to her, specially when it got him alone time with her.

“Are you ready Fireheart?”, asked Rowan while standing outside her bedroom door.

The door swung open, and Aelin stood in the middle, clad in a pale blue sundress paired with white sneakers. It was a simple outfit, but it knocked the breath out of him. She twirled once, slowly, so he could take a good look at how the dress fit her in all the right ways and places, then stepped forward, pecked him on the lips and moved towards the kitchen.

“I am so ready for this day. I know you said you were bringing the food but I actually bought your favorite ice cream, because I knew you were only going to get my favorites and not yours.

Rowan smiled. “Thank you, princess. You were right, as always”. She knew him so good and he didn't mind a bit. He adored how selfless she was, always thinking about him, even in the little details like these.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about. Lys, did you hear that? I’m always right and Rowan knows it! You better start knowing it too!” screamed Aelin facing the hallway so her roommate would hear it, a smirk on her mouth and humor in her eyes.

A headless voice came back, yelling. “Oh for Pete’s sake, just go already!”

Aelin snorted, waved goodbye to the house and helped Rowan carry all the picnic stuff through the door, closing it behind them when they finished.

“Ready or not, here we come.”

_(30 minutes later)_

“You have to be kidding me. How much further are we going to have to walk to get to the actual place?”, whined Aelin. “I thought this was supposed to be fun.” Even though she was complaining, she barely had a blush on her cheeks and her forehead was free of sweat.

Rowan smiled and tugged on her hand. “It is fun, Fireheart. I promise you’re going to love the place. Besides, we’re almost there.”

“You’ve said that the previous three times I’ve asked…”

“And I meant it every time. We’ve only really been walking fifteen minutes and I know for certain you run for a whole hour every few days. This should be a walk in the park for you, babe. Look, we’re here”, said Rowan while he stopped, pulling the blanket from his bag and setting it down so they could sit. When he sat down, Aelin plopped unceremoniously on his lap and wrapped her hands around his neck.

“Yeah but I didn’t come here to exercise. Also, do you think you’re being funny with all the walking in parks puns? Well you’re not. And I hate you so much right now.”

Rowan looked at her with love shining in his eyes and a smile on his face, admiring the beauty he had in his arms. “Yeah, right. You love me.”

Aelin stopped fiddling with the neck of his shirt, took a deep breath and looked at him.

“Actually, yeah, I do.”

Rowan sat frozen, and Aelin shifted in his lap, thinking about the talent she had for making any kind of situation awkward. Maybe she had been wrong, and it wasn't the right moment to make such declarations.

“Ro, I-”

“I love you, too”, he rushed out.

Relief flooded her and she relaxed again in his embrace. She looked up at him, silver lining her eyes. “You do?”

He wiped at her eyes and whispered with their foreheads touching, “To whatever end.”

Aelin smiled quietly against his lips.

“To whatever end.”


End file.
